


Shine upon me from afar

by candeloro



Category: Sengoku Basara
Genre: Unrequited Love, one-sided Otani Yoshitsugu/Ishida Mitsunari
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-12
Updated: 2015-07-12
Packaged: 2018-04-09 01:10:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4328073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/candeloro/pseuds/candeloro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mitsunari is adamant that beating up the Toyotomi retainers who have been slandering Yoshitsugu was the right thing to do. Yoshitsugu disagrees.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shine upon me from afar

Had there ever been a greater fool than Ishida Mitsunari?

Hardly, Ōtani Yoshitsugu decided. 

He had first met Mitsunari six years ago, when the young man had begun his service under Toyotomi Hideyoshi as a page. His skills with the sword and his talent for administration were sharp, his understanding of human nature anything but. Unflexible, rash and brusque, Mitsunari had made more enemies than friends among the Toyotomi retainers. His rapid advancement to the rank of the Taikō's left hand was owed to Yoshitsugu in no small part. He used the boy as a pawn for his own designs in return. Mitsunari never noticed. He was blissfully unaware of so many things.

Only a fool could remain so pure. Flattery and criticism alike rolled off Mitsunari like mud from a lotus petal. The sole opinion that mattered was that of the Taikō and the Taikō's word was law. He followed Toyotomi Hideyoshi with the devotion of a religious fanatic, serving his idol with unwavering loyalty for no other reward than the man's acknowledgement and trust. He never lied, despised deceitfulness and duplicity. His word, once given, was never broken, his trust, once gained, unconditional. 

But this was not a world without lies. Human emotions changed as easily as the leaves changed colour in autumn. Mitsunari had to be preserved, sheltered, or he would be ruined like a priceless blade exposed to the elements. The greater the care taken in preserving his purity, the greater the satisfaction would be when he was finally stained by sorrow, tarnished with despair, spoiled by hatred. He would be glorious to behold. But not now, not yet. The time had not yet come. 

His musings were interrupted by the trample of feet approaching at an inhuman speed. The sliding door flew open without warning and Mitsunari stormed into the room. 

Yoshitsugu laid the brush aside and turned from his writing table. 'Such youthful enthusiasm.' He threw a pointed glance at the splintered wood where the door had hit the frame. 'Sit down, Mitsunari. What brings you to me?'

'Gyōbu! Why didn't you tell me!' The young man stood there, panting, clothes in disarray. On closer inspection, Yoshitsugu noticed the bruises marring his face and the shallow cut above his right eye. 

'Tell you what, Mitsunari? And what happened to your face?'

'Never mind my face! I heard from Ieyasu that that bastard Katō Kiyomasa and his minions have been slandering you. Why didn't you tell me?!'

Mitsunari's bloodied face and his reproachful question made it rather easy to divine what had happened. Yoshitsugu pressed his lips together. While he relished the thought of Katō's battered face, he would have preferred it had Mitsunari never learned of this. 

'Calm yourself, Mitsunari.' He passed a handkerchief to the young man. 'And wipe off the blood.' Of course it had to be Tokugawa. Always meddling, even if his help was neither needed nor desired. 

Mitsunari finally sat on the offered cushion with a snort and started dabbing at his face. 

'You need not have concerned yourself with Katō,' Yoshitsugu continued. 'It seems he harbours a grudge against me since I enjoy the favour of the Taikō. Undeservedly so, in his opinion. He is an annoyance, but nothing more. It hardly required such drastic action on your part.' 

'You are in Lord Hideyoshi's favour because you are indispensible to the Toyotomi.' Mitsunari frowned. 'How can Katō fail to understand that!'

Yoshitsugu smiled wrily. In fact, Katō had a few more reasons to dislike him than mere envy. It seemed he had finally figured out who had ensured that Toyotomi Hideyoshi never heard so much of a whisper of his valiant efforts during the invasion of Joseon. 

He sighed. 'You should not have beaten them, Mitsunari. You do not need any more enemies than you already have.' Now that the matter had escalated, Takenaka Hanbei would no longer ignore the infighting amongst the retainers. How vexing. Surely the right hand of the Taikō would scold him for failing to keep the young man's explosive temper under control. 

'They deserved every cut and bruise, and more,' Mitsunari said, baring his teeth. 

Yoshitsugu waved his hand dismissively. 'Let them wag their tongues. There is no harm in that.“ 

'What are you saying, Gyōbu?' The young man slammed his fists down onto the tatami. 'They were bad-mouthing you! I won't stand by idly while they spread lies about you!'

'How often have I told you to control your temper?' Yoshitsugu said sternly. 'To fly into a violent rage over such a triviality … I imagine the Taikō will be thrilled to hear that you injured his retainers and caused disturbances in the ranks of his army.' 

Mitsunari's eyes widened. He cast his gaze to the ground, biting his lip. 'I will submit gladly to whatever punishment Lord Hideyoshi sees fit if he disapproves of my behaviour.' He raised his silver head and shot the older man a defiant glance. 'But I am sure he would agree that they needed to be disciplined for their shameful conduct.' 

Yoshitsugu was silent. Then, he looked away, his eyes narrowing in a smile. 'I appreciate the sentiment. You took pity on a helpless invalid.' 

'What are you talking about?' Mitsunari frowned. 'The likes of them have no place in Lord Hideyoshi's army. I disciplined them, as is my duty as Lord Hideyoshi's left hand. I didn't waste a single thought on you.' 

Yoshitsugu stared at him in silence. His eyes met Mitsunari's green gaze. A heart without darkness. A man who could not see the shapes of demons within others. His irritation dissipated, transformed into a different emotion, one he dared not name. He raised a gloved hand to smooth Mitsunari's disheveled hair. ''Shine upon me from afar, moon above the mountain crest ...''

'Gyōbu?'

Yoshitsugu ignored Mitsunari's questioning tone. 'Your eye is swelling,' he said matter-of-factly. 'I will have the servants bring some ice for your face.' 

Invisible under the hood he wore to conceal his disfigured face, the corners of his mouth turned up in a self-deprecating smile. 

He had been mistaken. There was an even greater fool than Ishida Mitsunari after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Full poem:
> 
> From darkness  
> Into the depths of darkness  
> Must I enter:  
> Shine upon me from afar,  
> O moon above the mountain crest.
> 
> Izumi Shikibu (Trans. Edwin A. Cranston)
> 
> Joseon: a Korean kingdom (1392-1897)
> 
>  
> 
> This fic was originally a fill for a kink meme prompt which I didn't finish for years because I couldn't get it right. Not sure if I'd call this fic a success, but here it is.


End file.
